March 2009 Archives

New Shows, Old Faces

By
Edward Prickett
on March 4, 2009 12:20 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
I really like March for four reasons: spring break (thank God), warmer weather, college basketball (Go Heels!), and midseason replacements.

There are three shows debuting this month I am particularly curious about. Two of the shows feature some of my favorite actors and one is a do-over of a long cancelled show. 


Castle.jpg
Castle looks fun, if fairly ordinary. It's a procedural about a mystery writer who helps a tough and attractive female cop investigate crimes. Basically, it's The Mentalist meets Bones. The shows ace in the hole is definitely Nathan Fillion as Castle. Fillion is well known to sci-fi geeks for his turn as Malcolm Reynolds on Joss Whedon's cult fave Firefly. The guy is a very likeable and charismatic lead who deserves a big break.I cant wait to see how he fares in something this mainstream.   
Premieres March 9th at 10pm on ABC

Ian and Susanna.jpg
So Kings is a bit more interesting. Basically, it looks like the Bible meets Dallas. Now I am not a particularly big fan of either the Bible or Dallas, but I find the combination of the two oddly intriguing. The show is a modern day retelling of the story of David (of David and Goliath fame). The odd combination of biblical storytelling and 80's cheese is not the only reason I am excited. 

Kings cast includes Ian Mcshane and Susanna Thompson. Mcshane is a Golden Globe winner for his work on the unfairly cancelled Deadwood and Thompson was fantastic on ABC's Once and Again. Both should be fun to watch on a weekly basis.
2 hour premiere March 15th at 8pm on NBC


cupidpivencannavale.jpg
This has got to be the strangest midseason replacement in quite awhile. The first version of the show, featuring a pre-Entourage Jeremy Piven, lasted all of 15 episodes in 1998. ABC decided to let Rob Thomas, who created the original, redo the show with Bobby Cannavale as the titular character. Both versions of the show follow a man named Trevor who believes he is Cupid. Trevor must unite 100 couples before he can return to his home on Mount Olympus. Definitely a fairly original idea, at least the first time around.

I really enjoyed the first version of the show. I think it featured Piven's best work to date (well maybe not) and Rob Thomas is great, but did we really need another take on it? I'm not so sure. I am really curious about this one.
Premieres March 31st at 10pm 

Chuck: Odds and Ends

By
Edward Prickett
on March 3, 2009 7:06 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a nice write-up of the Chuck panel from Wondercon yesterday.

Samuel Beckett is Visiting Chuck

Chuck and Scott.jpg

The most exciting news is that Scott Bakula is guesting as Chuck and Ellie's dad. Quantum Leap was one of my favorite shows as a kid so I am excited to see Bakula pop up again.

 A clip of the cast talking about working with Bakula is available here if you are interested. I hope that the turn could lead to a comeback for him. Hey, if Mark Harmon can comeback and headline a top 3 show, anything is possible.

The writers also mentioned that "Jeffster," the greatest band you've never heard of, is going to make another appearance. Their performance of Toto's timeless hit "Africa" was unforgettable. 

                              

Anyone else looking forward to the album? Me, I cant wait.

Last Nights Episode

Good episode last night. I do think that the writers have to start advancing the whole Chuck/Sarah thing. Every week they seemingly wrap-up the whole "Will they? Wont they?" angle, only to back track the next week. I understand that the relationship is a key part of the show and I generally enjoy it. I just hope they find a new spin to keep it fresh.

I think the introduction of Cole Barker was a good start in shaking things up. Cole, a Bond-like MI:6 agent, took one look at Sarah and decided he wanted to "butter her biscuit." What a great line. You'll never hear me say it, mainly because there is no way in hell I could pull it off, but great line nevertheless.

Kudos to Jonathan Cake for his performance as Cole. I had not seen him in anything since Empire, ABC's atrocious miniseries from a few summers ago. Amazing the difference good material makes. I am looking forward to seeing him again next week. 

My Man Crush on Michael Westen

By
Edward Prickett
on March 2, 2009 7:13 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for michael Westen.jpg
Man Crush? Really????

According to urbandictionary.com, a man crush is when a straight man has a "crush" on another man, not sexual but kind of idolizing him. The "man crush" is not a new concept. Just look at this website. 

Anyway, having defended the sanctity of the "man crush", I guess I have to explain mine.

Why Michael Westen deserves to be crushed on (is that too gay?)

Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) is the main character on Burn Notice. He is a spy who is burned by his employer (spy speak for being canned and having your identity/bank accounts erased) and dumped in Miami. While trying to find out who burned him, Michael pays the bills serving as a one man A-Team.

Now the whole "one man A-Team" description should be enough reason for me to think he is really cool, but there is so much more.

Sam and Fiona
sam and fiona.jpg
While Michael is a real bad ass, his friends are awesome too. 

Sam Axe (cool last name) is a former spy who loves his beer and is always on the look out for a wealthy woman to take care of him financially. If that isn't enough, he is played by the amazing B-movie star Bruce Campbell. 

Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) is a former IRA operative and Michael's ex-girlfriend. The New York Times aptly describes her as "someone who can build explosives like the rest of us make toast." 

The Things You Can Learn From Michael

Have you ever wondered about the best way to breach a door? How about how to make a car bullet-proof using 15-20 phonebooks? Thats the kind of really cool stuff you learn every week watching Michael go about his business.

So, you may be saying to yourself, "When will I ever need to make my car bulletproof or breach a door?" Well you might be surprised, but I can also see your point.

What about when you are being hassled at a bar? Happens to all of us right? Thanks to Michael Westen I know the best way to survive a bar fight- do you?                                                          



 Suits, Steely Cool and Yogurt

Now I am not a suit guy. I don't even own a suit. But Michael Westen almost makes me wish I did. There is something about a guy casually disarming a highly trained operative all while wearing a tailored suit. It adds a sense of effortlessness to the proceedings I find highly entertaining. 

Michael also carries himself with a "steely cool" (think Steve McQueen). Now Micheal, unlike the A-Team, is not averse to killing. When he does not kill someone, it's not because he has had a crisis of conscience, but because it would cause another mess that needs cleaning up. 

I love the very casual, effortless way Michael goes about his business. He is always better than everyone else. You would think that would get boring after awhile, but it doesn't.

Finally, Michael loves yogurt. I too love yogurt. It's pretty much the only thing we have in common so I just thought I would mention it.

In Case You Too are Feeling the Love

Burn Notice's season 2 finale is this Thursday at 10 p.m.


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